Stay tuned as Friendship heads to the SB64 Conference in Bonn, Germany and the London Climate Action Week later in June
By Friendship News Desk,
4 June, 2026
SB64 Conference, 8 – 18 June 2026
The 64th session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) will be held at the World Conference Centre in Bonn, Germany. This year’s session will focus on cementing preparatory technical negotiations that will lead up to the upcoming COP31 to be held in Antalya, Turkey. Participating countries will discuss the current state of global climate action and implementation of policies according to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
Friendship will join SB64 in a side event titled ‘Scaling Nature-based Solutions for Carbon, Biodiversity and Livelihoods in the Global South’ on Saturday, 13 June 2026, along with representatives from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University (ZAFU).
The 90-minute-long session will be moderated by Stéphane Van Haute, Director, Climate Adaptation & Communications, Friendship Luxembourg. James Chunyu Pan, PhD candidate in Forestry at UBC, will open the session with his remarks. Keynote speakers include Dr Guangyu Wang, Professor at UBC’s Department of Forest Resources Management, and Kazi Amdadul Hoque, Senior Director and Head of Climate Action, Friendship, Bangladesh.
Panellists include AKM Sohel, Wing Chief, UN Wing & Chair of ICFC, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh; and Dr Carlos Ruiz-Garvia, Adaptation Committee Unit lead at the UN Climate Change secretariat. A representative from the Government of Luxembourg is also expected to join the panel discussion.
As climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation increasingly threaten vulnerable communities across the Global South, scaling effective and locally led Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is far more urgent. This event will bring together policymakers, practitioners, climate finance actors, researchers, civil society, and community representatives to explore how community-driven approaches. Examples from Friendship, such as mangrove restoration, ecosystem-based adaptation, regenerative agriculture, and climate-resilient livelihoods, will be explored in how they can deliver climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic benefits at scale.
The discussion will further expand on meaningful pathways to unlock climate and carbon finance and strengthen locally led adaptation by leveraging Article 6 opportunities to effectively bridge the gap between global policy frameworks and community realities. Through sharing proven experiences and fostering cross-sector partnerships, the session aims to advance inclusive and economically viable solutions that contribute to adaptation, mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and resilient livelihoods across the Global South.
London Climate Action Week, 20-28 June 2026
The London Climate Action Week (LCAW) is one of the largest climate festivals in the world that harnesses the entire city of London for global climate action. This year, the event is in its eighth edition, expecting to bring more than 75,000 people and host more than 750 events. The event will bring together international communities to realise the UN Global Climate Action Agenda in every corner of the city, from schools and boroughs to global conferences.
Friendship will host a panel discussion at LCAW on 24 June 2026 to explore the human lived experience of climate change by exchanging frontline experiences and knowledge across borders. Friendship founder Runa Khan will speak at the session, touching upon Friendship’s integrated approach to development, lessons from community-led adaptation and resilience, and the role of youth leadership and climate justice to shape stronger and more equitable climate responses.
Khan will be joined by Kazi Amdadul Hoque and two climate youth activists – Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts and ornithologist Mya-Rose Craig, both of whom have had first-hand exposure to climate-affected communities in Bangladesh. The session will be moderated by HRH Princess Esmeralda, Chair of Friendship Belgium.
